Visit at the Asylum

Humid today, still wet and deary since we got back, but by late afternoon it cleared and was lovely.

I went over to Cyndy Cromwell's today (Gardening Asylum) and toured her garden in Glastonbury.  She has just under an acre of very shady, very dense and lush woodland gardens.  It was wonderful talking plants with her and seeing everything she has.

She dug up things as we went along, and I now have purple irises spilling over the bare edges of the dry creek bed, as well as more Carex 'Ice Dance'.  And she gave me a clump of chocolate Joe Pye weed, Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate'.  It has lovely dark foliage and is supposed to be compact and upright.  I put it in the Meadow's Edge garden on the left side.

Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate'

She also gave me some autumn crocus (it has huge strappy foliage that will disappear later... I thought autumn crocus was a small leaved little thing?)

And Queen of the Meadow -- Filipendula rubra.  Not sure about the pinkish fuzzy blooms.  I put it next to the doublefile viburnum, squashed in with clumps of daylilies.  It will get tall, but stays sturdy and upright.  It wants a lot of moisture.  If the foliage declines, cut it back.

Filipendula rubra

She cut two viburnum branches, one with roots (viburnum tomentosum 'Mariesii' which is similar to my 'Shasta').  The other is Viburnum x carlcephaleum I think, fragrant snowball.  Hers was in full bloom and delicately beautiful.  She cut a branch and we'll see if it roots in soil, but it's iffy.

After my visit with Cyndy, I went to Woodland Gardens and got the Cornus mas they ordered for me (very large!) to replaced the little beheaded one, and the Dawn viburnum, a tall 15 gallon plant!